Roger Buckton was previously professor of Music at UC. As a tour leader he has just returned from a tour which included the countries: Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Finland. His experiences during the tour will be discussed and illustrated against a background of historical events especially in the past 100 years. It will be supported by visual and sound examples taken from two trips that Roger will be making in 2018 and will have something of a focus on the folk and national song and dance of the regions.

These five lectures will offer enticing glimpses of the proud history of Scotland from Skara Brae to Nicola Sturgeon. This is a land of antiquity in the north of Britain. To Gaelic speakers, it is Alba. The Scots came from Ireland and created Dál Riata, but ultimately, like the Angles and Franks they gave their name to the land they had conquered and the Picts disappeared from history. In solidarity against England, for 250 years the Scots joined forces with France, and border warfare was endemic. The Calvinistic reforms of John Knox, transformed Sacotland and in 1603 the crowns of Scotland and England descended to James VI and I, a dynastic union made political in 1707. The Scots have contributed in every field of education and endeavour and the spirit of Scottish national identity has been nurtured throughout the centuries.

Judith Coullie obtained her MA in English literature from Syracuse University (USA) and her PhD from the University of Natal. Before immigrating to New Zealand, she was Professor of English at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. She is currently a learning advisor at the University of Canterbury.

In this series we explore the history of South Africa over the last century. The events of the last years of the 1800’s to the early years of the 2000’s all impacted on the lives of South Africans, citizens and disenfranchised people alike. Within the historical narrative, we hear parts of women’s life stories. Women across race, class and ethnic divisions recount snippets of their lives.